A South Texas Democrat who mocked his rival for “living the good life on donor’s resources” paid for Disney and his wife’s travel out of his own campaign account, campaign finance records show.
Story Highlights
- A review of Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s campaign finance records, published Thursday, October 8, found nearly $20,000 in campaign spending around trips he took with his wife from 2019 to 2025.
- His campaign paid Walt Disney Resorts $1,122.76 in 2025 and paid $4,767.53 for a “spouse travel expense” on a 2019 trip to Morocco.
- In October 2025, Gonzalez mocked Republican Mayra Flores in a photo caption for “living the good life on donor’s resources again.”
- His campaign manager says “every dollar this campaign spends is legal and publicly disclosed.”
The Jab, and His Own Receipts
Gonzalez is a fifth-term Democratic congressman from South Texas. In October 2025, he posted a photo of Mayra Flores, the Republican he beat for the seat in 2024, at Dallas Love Field Airport with two young family members, a Disney World bag and stuffed animals. His caption said she was “living the good life on donor’s resources again,” suggesting she may have used campaign money on a Disney trip.
His own records tell a similar story. His campaign made two payments of $561.38 each to Walt Disney Resorts, on March 24 and May 27, 2025. Both are listed only as “travel expenses.” On April 26, 2025, between those two dates, Gonzalez posted about a two-day trip to Walt Disney World with the caption “DC to Disney! What a fantastic 2 days.”
What His Campaign Says
Alex Philley, Gonzalez’s campaign manager, said “every dollar this campaign spends is legal and publicly disclosed.” She said the Disney spending was tied to “a very important Financial Services trip” with Rep. French Hill, a Republican congressman from Arkansas. She did not give a date or place for that trip, and the Disney filings do not list a purpose.
Philley also said the trips overseas with his wife were tied to official business. About a hotel bill in Rome, she said, “This was not a vacation,” and “This was not the Congressman’s choice; he only had to pay for it.” She said a House committee booked that hotel.
Abu Dhabi, Rome, Zurich and Morocco
In December 2024, the campaign paid $12,810 to Emirates Airlines and $359.27 at a five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The records list both as “officially connected” to a congressional delegation trip, which is an official trip abroad by a group of lawmakers. In posts from that trip, Gonzalez called it an “after campaign break.”
In 2025, the campaign paid $442.41 at the five-star Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel in Rome. That was the same week he posted a photo meeting Pope Leo XIV. In August 2025, it paid $566.67 to Swiss Air and $395 at La Rôtisserie in Zurich, a restaurant with one Michelin star, a top dining award. Both Europe charges are labeled “Travel Expense.”
The $4,767.53 “spouse travel expense” goes back to 2019, when Gonzalez and his wife went to Morocco. That trip ran under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act, a federal law that lets members of Congress accept travel paid for by a foreign government for approved cultural exchange visits.
The records also show spending at home from 2024 to 2026: about $4,000 at a Washington, D.C., steakhouse, $1,019 at California’s Ojai Valley Inn, and more than $1,400 at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Pennsylvania.
What the Rules Say
The Federal Election Commission, or FEC, is the federal agency that writes and enforces the money rules for campaigns for Congress and the White House. Under its rules, campaign money can pay for a spouse’s travel only when the trip is tied to the campaign or to the member’s official duties. Campaign money cannot pay for a personal vacation, and any personal part of a trip must be paid back.
The records list the payments and their labels. They are not a finding of wrongdoing by any regulator, and the campaign says all of it was proper.
Why It Matters to Voters and Donors
People who give to a campaign expect their money to pay for ads, events and getting out the vote. Gonzalez set the standard himself when he went after his rival over Disney. Voters can now hold his own campaign to the same test he applied to her.
Gonzalez is on the ballot again on Tuesday, November 3. He faces Republican Eric Flores, who beat Mayra Flores and a crowded Republican field in the primary to win the nomination.
